A game between two squads that are squarely in the playoff picture, the Dallas Stars and the St. Louis Blues collide at the Scottrade Center for a divisional showdown. The matchup gets going at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 7, and fans at home are able to see the game live on Fox Sports Southwest.
Dallas Stars at St. Louis Blues Odds
St. Louis (-140) is currently favored over Dallas (+120). The Over/Under (O/U) is set at 6 goals and initially opened at -130 for the over and +110 for the under. Those odds have shifted, however, and they now sit at -125 over and +105 under.
St. Louis is 18-10 straight up (SU) and has earned 4.3 units for moneyline bettors this season. That winning percentage, ranked second in the league in this young season, is an improvement over the 46-36 record from the 2016-17 season campaign. Of its 28 games this season, 14 have gone over the total, while another 14 have gone under and none have pushed. This year, the team is 9-5 SU at home.
The Blues have converted on just 17.0 percent of their power play chances this year, a figure that places them in the bottom-10 overall among NHL teams. On the other hand, their penalty kill is ranked 23rd overall, and they’ve successfully killed off 77.9 percent of all penalties.
As a collective unit, the Blues have been penalized just 3.6 times per game overall this season, 3.8 per game over their last five outings total, and 3.0 per game over their last five home outings. The teams had to defend opponent power plays for just 8.3 minutes per game over their last 10 outings, in total.
Averaging 25.2 saves per game with a .906 save percentage, Jake Allen (14-9-2) has been the best goalkeeper for the Blue Notes this year. If St. Louis decides to give him a breather, however, head coach Mike Yeo could turn to Carter Hutton (5-3-3 record, .937 save percentage, 1.88 goals against average).
Jaden Schwartz and Brayden Schenn will each spearhead the attack for the Blues. Schwartz (34 points) has tallied 13 goals and 21 assists and has recorded multiple points on nine separate occasions this year. Schenn has 13 goals and 20 assists to his credit and has recorded a point in 16 contests.
Dallas is 16-12 straight up (SU) and has earned 1.5 units for moneyline bettors this year. A total of 15 of its outings have gone over the total, while 12 have gone under and just one has pushed. As the road team, the Stars are 6-9 SU so far.
The Stars have converted on 20.5 percent of their power play opportunities this season, a mark that’s right around league average. On the other hand, its penalty kill unit is ranked seventh overall and it’s successfully killed off 83.2 percent of all opponent power plays.
Dallas skaters have been called for penalties 4.5 times per game in total this season, 4.4 per game over their past five match ups total, and 4.0 per game over their last five road outings. The teams been forced to defend opponent power plays 9.0 minutes per game over their last five road outings.
Ben Bishop (2.68 goals against average and .910 save percentage) has been the primary option in goal for Dallas. Bishop is averaging 24.9 saves per game and has 13 wins and 10 losses to his credit.
Leading the offensive counter for the visiting Stars will be Tyler Seguin (14 goals, 13 assists) and Alexander Radulov (nine goals, 16 assists).
Dallas Stars at St. Louis Blues Free Picks
Predictions: SU Winner – Blues, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
- Over Dallas last ten games, eight of them have been decided by two or more goals (the team is 5-3 in those games).
- Penalties and power plays could prove to be critical in tonight’s game. The Stars are 8-3 in games where they serve fewer penalty minutes than their opponent and 10-5 when they serve fewer than 10 total penalty minutes. The Blues are 8-6 when they serve fewer penalty minutes than the opposition and 12-7 in games where they’re in the box for less than 10 minutes.
- Dallas is 1-1 in games decided by a shootout this season while St. Louis is 2-0 in shootouts.
- The under has hit in three of St. Louis last five games.
- St. Louis has averaged 4.2 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 5.1 giveaways per game (the 2nd-fewest in the league).
- Dallas has averaged 5.4 giveaways over its last five home games, an improvement from its season average of 7.7 giveaways per game (the sixth-fewest in the league).
- The Blue Notes this season have recorded the seventh-most hits in the NHL (23.6 per game).
